Basketball backpack

ABSTRACT

A backpack includes a housing, a main zipper assembly, a flap, a zipper, and a movable object. The housing has a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, and connecting panels extending between the front and back panels. The main zipper is configured to unzip to permit access to an interior of the housing for removal or insertion of items and to zip to define a volume of the housing. The flap is connected to the housing and positioned in front of the front panel secured by the zipper. The movable object is coupled to the housing and has a stored configuration and a released configuration. In the stored configuration, the movable object is positioned between the flap and the front panel in an enclosed volume. In the released configuration, the movable object is moved out of the stored configuration to extend beyond the enclosed volume.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/542,351, filed Oct. 3, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection, including the drawings that form part of the disclosure. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a backpack, and more particularly, to a backpack having a movable front flap to reveal a movable object that can be moved outside of the volume defined by the closed flap and the backpack.

BACKGROUND

Backpacks are first and foremost for storing things, but they can also double as a toy or a plaything, particularly for children. Backpack technology has focused on enhancing the utility of the backpacks, but have missed the point in making them fun to use and wear.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A backpack including a housing, a main zipper assembly, a flap, a zipper, and a movable object. The housing has a bottom, panel, panel, and connecting panels extending between the front and back panels and defining the housing width. The housing defines a volume for containing items therein. The main zipper is configured to unzip to permit access to an interior of the housing for removal or insertion of items and to zip to define the volume. The flap is connected to the housing and positioned in front of the front panel secured by the zipper. The movable object is coupled to the housing and has a stored configuration and a released configuration. In the stored configuration, the movable object is positioned between the flap and the front panel in an enclosed volume. In the released configuration, the movable object is moved out of the stored configuration to extend beyond the enclosed volume.

Additional aspects of the present disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a backpack according to an aspect of the present invention having a flap in a closed position covering a front panel of the backpack and a movable object between the flap and the front panel;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the backpack shown in FIG. 1 with the flap in an open position and the basketball hoop in a released position;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the backpack shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the backpack shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the backpack shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the backpack shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the backpack shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an isometric view of a backpack apparatus 100 for storing or holding items therein, such as books, toys, etc. The apparatus 100 includes a housing 101 having a bottom panel 140, a front panel 120, a back panel 110, a connecting panel 108 extending between the front panel 120 and the back panel 110 and defining a width dimension, W, of the housing 101. The housing 101 defines a volume for containing items therein. The apparatus 100 includes a main zipper assembly 130, 132 configured to unzip to permit access to an interior of the housing 101 for removal or insertion of items relative to the housing and to zip to define the volume. The apparatus 100 includes a flap 102 connected to the housing 101 along an edge 107 (shown in FIG. 6) and positioned in front of the front panel 120 and distal from the back panel 110. The apparatus 100 includes releasable securing means 106, 128 for releaseably securing the flap 102 (e.g., by a zipper, hook and loop fasteners, or a snap as described further below) to the front panel 120. The flap 102 has a closed position (shown in FIG. 1) in which the flap 102 is secured by the releasable securing means 106, 128 to the front panel and an open position in which the flap 102 is released from the releasable securing means 106, 128 and urged away from the front panel 120. The apparatus 100 includes a movable object 122 (in this example shown as a basketball hoop) coupled to the housing 101. The movable object 122 has a stored configuration (shown in FIG. 1) and a released configuration (shown in FIG. 2). In the stored configuration (FIG. 1), the movable object 122 is positioned between the flap 102 and the front panel 120 in an enclosed volume (FIG. 1) defined by the flap 102, the front panel 120, and the releasable securing means 106, 128. In the released configuration (FIG. 2), the movable object 122 is moved out of the stored configuration to extend beyond the enclosed volume.

The apparatus 100 further includes a first strap 114 attached to the back panel 110 and configured to support the weight of the apparatus 100 when carried by a person, such as a human adult or child. The apparatus 100 further includes a second strap 114 also attached to the back panel 110 opposite the first strap (shown in FIG. 5) and configured to support, together with the first strap, the apparatus 100 when carried by the person. In this example, the apparatus 100 is configured to be worn as a backpack by a person such that the back panel 110 is positioned against a back of the person and the first and the second straps 114 are configured to be worn over the shoulders of the person when the apparatus is worn by the person.

The apparatus 100 further includes a hinge 124 connecting the movable object 122 to the front panel 120 of the housing 100 to permit the movable object 122 to transition between the stored configuration (FIG. 1) and the released configuration (FIG. 2). The movable object 122 is a basketball hoop having a net (shown in FIG. 2). The hinge 124 is configured to allow the basketball hoop to transition from a vertical position (shown in FIG. 1) in the stored configuration parallel with the front panel 120 to a horizontal position (shown in FIG. 2) in the released configuration generally orthogonal to the front panel 120. The hinge 124 can be removable to allow the movable object 122 to be detached and reattached to the front panel 120. For example, hook and loop fasteners can be attached between the hinge 124 and the front panel 120 to allow detachment and reattachment of the hinge 124 together with the movable object 122.

The flap 102 includes a transparent window 103 through which the movable object 122 is visible when the flap 102 is secured to the front panel 120 by the releasable securing means 106, 128. The transparent window 103 can be composed of plastic and is framed by an edge 104. The movable object 122 moves with the flap 102 as the flap 102 is moved between the closed position (FIG. 1) and the open position (FIG. 2). The movable object 122 is moved out of the stored configuration (FIG. 1) to extend beyond the enclosed volume in any direction therefrom by a distance that exceeds 10% of a longest dimension of the flap 102. In the example shown, the basketball hoop 122 extends generally orthogonally away from a major plane defining the surface of the front panel 120 by a distance that is about 25% of a height dimension, H, of the flap 102 (its longest dimension compared to its width and depth dimensions). Instead of extending orthogonally away from a major planar surface of the front panel 120, the movable object 122 can extend away from the top of the front panel 120 parallel to the major planar surface thereof. In these examples, the movable object is consistent with a sports theme, such as basketball, golf, baseball, football, hockey, soccer, and the like. The movable object 122 pops up from or out of the major plane surface of front panel 120 when the flap 102 is lowered from the closed position to the open position.

The apparatus 100 includes a first bracket 126 a positioned between the flap 102 and the front panel 120 to hold the flap 102 in a fixed position relative to the front panel when the flap is in the open position as shown in FIG. 3. The first bracket 126 a is configured to be housed within the enclosed volume when the flap 102 is in the closed position (shown in FIG. 1). The apparatus 100 further includes a second bracket 126 b positioned opposite the first bracket 126 a and between the flap 102 and the front panel 120 to hold the flap 102 in the fixed position (shown in FIG. 3). Like the first bracket 126 a, the second bracket 126 b is also configured to be housed within the enclosed volume when the flap 102 is in the closed position (shown in FIG. 1). The brackets 126 a,b form partial sidewalls to the flap 102 to support the flap 102 in the open position and allow the flap 102 to lay flat on a horizontal surface without twisting. The brackets 126 a,b can be configured to fold, such as along one or more score lines (such as shown in FIG. 1), so that they fold in one or more directions mutually inwards toward the enclosed volume between the flap 102 and the front panel 120 as the flap 102 is moved from the open position to the closed position. The brackets 126 a,b also constrain the movement of the flap 102 beyond a predetermined angle (for example, 90 degrees or approximately 135 degrees as shown in FIG. 3) relative to the front panel to prevent overextending the flap 102 and thereby damaging it.

The releasable securing means 106, 128 includes a zipper 106 that extends at least around part of an edge 104 of the flap 102 but does not extend along an edge 107 (shown in FIG. 6) between the flap 102 and the bottom panel 140. The releasable securing means 106, 128 also includes a zipper pull 128. Although only one zipper pull 128 is shown, two zipper pulls can be used instead. Alternately, the releasable securing means include a hook and loop fastener (not shown) or a snap (not shown) or one or more magnets (not shown) positioned on the flap 102 and the apparatus 100 to releaseably secure the flap 102 in the closed position to the apparatus 100. For example, a pair of hook and loop fasteners or snaps or magnet(s) can be attached near the edges where the straight portions of the front panel 120 and the flap 102 transition into a curved portion.

The connecting panel 108 in the illustrated examples is a single connecting panel 108 connected at one end to an edge 141 a of the bottom panel 140 and at an opposite end to an opposite edge 141 b of the bottom panel 140. In other implementations, the connecting panel 108 can be composed of multiple panels or sections that are joined together to form the entire width of the apparatus 100. In the illustrated examples, the connecting panel 108 has a generally curved upper shape bounded by parallel flat sides to resemble generally a U-shape.

The apparatus 100 includes an optional holder 112 dimensioned and configured to hold a conventionally sized water bottle. The holder 112 is secured to the connecting panel 108.

The main zipper assembly 130, 132 includes a zipper pull 132 and a zipper 130 (conventionally having zipper tape with zipper teeth). Alternately, more than one zipper pull 132 can be used. Although the flap 102 is shown to have a transparent window 103, in other implementations, the flap 102 can be opaque and have printed thereon indicia consistent with the theme of the movable object (in this example, a basketball theme).

The particular materials used to construct the apparatus are not a focus of the present disclosure. The apparatus 100 can be conventionally composed of a fabric or canvas material, with reinforcing structures to help the apparatus 100 retain its shape. The transparent window 103 of the flap 102 can be made of a semi-flexible transparent PVC plastic material. The hoop of the movable object 122 can be made of a pliable but relatively stiff plastic or wire material.

The terms top, bottom, front, back, side, and the like are intended to refer to an orientation in which the backpack is in its normal, upright position when worn by a standing, human wearer.

While particular embodiments and applications of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations can be apparent from the foregoing descriptions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for storing or holding items therein, comprising: a housing having a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, and one or more connecting panels extending between the front panel and the back panel and defining a width dimension of the housing, the housing defining a volume for containing items therein; a main zipper assembly configured to unzip to permit access to an interior of the housing for removal or insertion of items relative to the housing and to zip to define the volume; a flap connected to the housing and positioned in front of the front panel; releasable securing means for releaseably securing the flap to the front panel, the flap having a closed position in which the flap is secured by the releasable securing means to the front panel and an open position in which the flap is released from the releasable securing means and urged away from the front panel; and a movable object coupled to the housing and having a stored configuration and a released configuration, where in the stored configuration the movable object is positioned between the flap and the front panel in an enclosed volume, and where in the released configuration the movable object is moved out of the stored configuration to extend beyond the enclosed volume.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a first strap attached to the back panel and configured to support the weight of the apparatus when carried by a person.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a second strap attached to the back panel opposite the first strap and configured to support, together with the first strap, the apparatus when carried by the person.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to be worn as a backpack by a person such that the back panel is positioned against a back of the person and the first and the second straps are configured to be worn over the shoulders of the person when the apparatus is worn by the person.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a hinge connecting the movable object to the front panel of the housing to permit the movable object to transition between the stored configuration and the released configuration.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the movable object is a basketball hoop having a net, the hinge being configured to allow the basketball hoop to transition from a vertical position in the stored configuration parallel with the front panel to a horizontal position in the released configuration generally orthogonal to the front panel.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flap includes a transparent window through which the movable object is visible when the flap is secured to the front panel by the releasable securing means.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movable object moves with the flap as the flap is moved between the closed position and the open position.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the movable object is moved out of the stored configuration to extend beyond the enclosed volume in any direction therefrom by a distance that exceeds 10% of a longest dimension of the flap.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first bracket positioned between the flap and the front panel to hold the flap in a fixed position relative to the front panel when the flap is in the open position, the first bracket being configured to be housed within the enclosed volume when the flap is in the closed position.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a second bracket positioned opposite the first bracket and between the flap and the front panel to hold the flap in the fixed position, the second bracket being configured to be housed within the enclose volume when the flap is in the closed position.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the releasable securing means includes a zipper that extends at least around an edge of the flap except along an edge between the flap and the bottom panel.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the releasable securing means include a hook and loop fastener or a snap positioned on the flap and the apparatus to releaseably secure the flap in the closed position to the apparatus.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more connecting panel is one connecting panel connected at one end to an edge of the bottom panel and at an opposite end to an opposite edge of the bottom panel.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connecting panel has a generally curved upper shape bounded by parallel flat sides to resemble a U-shape.
 16. The apparatus claim 1, wherein the main zipper assembly includes a first zipper tape attached to the back panel and a second zipper tape attached to the connecting panel, wherein the first zipper tape starts at a point on the back panel located at least halfway along a height of the back panel. 